Philippine Geography:
Philippines is an archipelago of 7100 islands with irregular coastline. Land area - more or less 300,000 sq.km. / 116,000 sq. miles. Location - 4 to 21 degrees North latitude and 115 to 127 East longitude. Gateway to Southeast Asia from the Pacific stream. It is within the typhoon belt and the earthquake belt. Northernmost island - Y'ami Southernmost island - Salauag.
Names of the Country: A. Chinese 1. Mai/Mayi Mayi - Land of the barbarians 2. Chin San - Mountain of Gold 3. Liu Shung - Land adjacent to the mainland. B. Spaniards 1. Archipelago de Saint Lazarus 2. Las Islas Filipinas C. Rizal - Pearl of the Orient Seas D. Claudius Ptolemy, an Egyptian explorer - Maniolae E. Romantic writers - Emeral island of the Pacific F. Other names are: Isles of Hope, Gem of the East, Orphan of the Pacific.
Theories on the origin of the Philippines 1. Divine Creation 3. Scientific: 2. Folkloric a) Geologic b) Geographic c) Popular Climate - Tropical Monsoon with three distinct seasons 1. Hot dry - high temperature and no rainfall 2. Hot wet - high temperature and heavy rainfall. 3. Cool dry - low temperature and no rainfall.
Monsoon winds - large scale winds which blow in opposite direction in a course of a year.
Topography: A. Land Forms 1. Island - a piece of land surrounded by water 2. Peninsula - a land almost surrounded by water and is attached to the mainland. 3. Mountain - an elevation from the ground. 4. Mountain Ranges - a group, series or chain of mountains. 5. Volcano - a mountain with magma
6. Hills - an elevation lower than a mountain. 7. Valley - a lowland between two mountains. 8. Plateau - a flat land on a mountain. 9. Plains - a vast area of flat lands. 10. Delta - land form at the mouth of the river. 11. Cape - a sharp angle of a coast line 12. Bay - a portion of land which almost enclosed a sea. 13. Isthmus - narrow piece of land connecting 2 areas or places
B. Water forms 1. Ocean - the biggest body of water 2. Sea - a larger body of salty water usually surrounding an island. 3. River - a water flowing on a soft spot of the earth known as the river bed. 4. Water falls - water falling from the top or an elevation. 5. Lake - a body of fresh water surrounded by land. 6. Brook - a small river usually flowing on a mountain side. 7. Rill - a smaller brook. 8. Stream - a water flowing slowly (or sometimes stagnant) on a flat land. 9. Swamp -a body of water usually near the sea and the river with vegetation growing on it. 10. Channel - a water way usually connecting two larger bodies of water. 11. Strait - a narrow body of water near an island or between two islands. 12. Gulf - a water way that usually connects a larger and a smaller body of water. 13. Spring - underground water that sprout into the surface.
Resources - the wealth of the nation. There are two types: Human resources - pertains to the population of the state. Natural resources - nature-given resources. These natural resources can be:
Extractive - resources that can be depleted. This cannot be restored nor replace Genetic - resources that can be regenerate or reproduce.
Resources which are dispensable to man Resources which are indispensable to man.
A. Kinds of Natural Resources A. Mineral - Gold in Northern Luzon and Bicol, Copper found in Luzon, Negros province, Zambales, and Rapu-Rapu island. Iron in Surigao and Chromite in Zambales.
B- Forest - Source of the following products commercial and non-commercial timber, Dyewoods, medicinal plant, nipa palms and rattan.
C-Non-Mineral - Coal is found in Cebu, Masbate and Sorsogon. Marble is in Mindoro and Romblon. Stonewash in Northern Luzon and Visayan islands
